Character Analysis Of Edna In The Awakening English Literature Essay
May Edna Pontellier ‘s actions in the novel The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, of all time be justifiable? Society accuses Edna of being selfish and indefensible in her behaviour and actions. She focuses merely upon liberates herself from boundaries that constrain her and achieves about all that she desires. Her matter, intervention of others, and self-destruction was wholly unreasonable. Although Edna systematically acted egotistically, she was ne’er denied support from anyone who she was acquainted with.
Edna had two immature male childs who she loved, yet she did non experience attached to them. Raoul, age four, and Etienne, age five, were treated in the opposite mode, “ if one of the small Pontellier male childs took a tumble whilst at drama, he was non disposed to hotfoot shouting to his female parent ‘s weaponries for comfort ; he would more likely choice himself up, wipe the H2O out of his eyes and the sand out of his oral cavity, and travel on playing ” ( 7 ) . This shows the disjunction between Edna and her kids and it is farther emphasized when Chopin wrote, “ in short, Mrs. Pontellier was non a mother-woman ” ( 8 ) . This describes how Edna is non a adult female who has maternally qualities, as farther demonstrated by this extract:
She was fond of her kids in an uneven, unprompted manner. She would sometimes garner them passionately to her bosom ; she would sometimes bury them. The twelvemonth before they had spent portion of the summer with their grandma Pontellier in Iberville. Feeling secure sing their felicity and public assistance, she did non lose them except with an occasional intense yearning. Their absence was a kind of alleviation, though she did non acknowledge this, even to herself. It seemed to liberate her of a duty which she had blindly assumed and for which Fate had non fitted her. ( 18 )
The grandma is worried about the Pontellier kids, as they may be forgotten when Mr. Pontellier leaves ; therefore, she has to take them off. Edna ne’er should hold had kids if she knew she was non able or willing to take attention of them. Edna herself Acts of the Apostless in a really immature and improper manner, as she merely gives her kids to their nurse if she is non in a loving temper. This is surely selfish and immoral to hold her kids brought up in this mode.
Edna acted even more selfishly when she and Robert LeBrun were profoundly in love with one another. This was made clear throughout the book, particularly when Mademoiselle Reisz is holding a conversation with Edna sing Robert ‘s letters. Mademoiselle Reisz says to Edna, “ It ‘s because he loves you, hapless sap ” ( 80 ) , and she inquiries her, “ are you in love with Robert ” ( 81 ) ? She merely replies, “ yes ” ( 81 ) . However, as Robert and Mr. Pontellier are gone, Edna discovers another individual for whom she can portion her passions with, Alcee Arobin. This relationship demonstrates how weak and selfish Edna truly is. She is non in love with Arobin, as she still loves Robert, but she still cheats on Robert until he returns place. At their first brush when he returns, she remains with Arobin, as Robert is non willing to state whether he loves her or non. However, every bit shortly as Robert says that he loves her, Arobin wholly disappears from Edna ‘s life. She is a married adult female who cheats on all of her lovers because she is egoistic.
Toward ‘s the terminal of the novel, Edna ‘s actions prove her selfishness even further. Her self-destruction and dismissal of her ain kids, hubby, and lovers shows how she is far excessively egoistic to hold any long term relationship. Right before perpetrating suicide Edna idea about her hubby, Raoul, and Etienne: “ They were a portion of her life. But they need non hold thought that they could posses her, organic structure and psyche ” ( 116 ) . She has small concern over their well-being, but instead discovers a ground to perpetrate self-destruction. Her concluding idea was about Robert, “ He did non cognize ; he did non understand. He would ne’er understand ” ( 116 ) . She had non considered about interrupting her beloved lover ‘s bosom, but instead how he had ne’er understood her. Edna had abandoned every individual who she had cared for and relied upon, without much idea.
